Maze
by Stilldead
Summary: A story anyone can continue since i cannot. Basically, Bakugou jumps in to protect Deku from an unknown quirk, later on landing in a place where he is left alone to search for an escape. Time is running differently and Midoriya surely will be surprised at how much a person can change by leaving them trapped and alone. Hurt/Comfort, but not really since it's short.
1. Chapter 1

Deku ran ahead, the wind whistling and voices of his companions falling flat on his ears, his mind occupied with thoughts.

The newest villain? At 4 in the morning? The teachers said that after the internships (his most recent one under Endeavor's wing) will be enough to deal with a small robbery. Hence they were called. Especially since the thief was apparently quirkless no less. What must have motivated this person to such lengths? _Greed? Bills? Family? Tortu-_

"Stop mumbling, NERD!"

"But Kacchan! I just wanted to-"

"So do it quieter,_ jeez_!"

"Well..."

Anyway, he wasn't going to judge this person - that will be resolved later. He didn't even have time for it. Now his only job was to catch this woman so she can do no more harm with her blade. He saw it under the banker's chin as he stepped in, her shaking hands making a thin red line just below his Adam's apple. There were opened safes, the cash laying near the counter, no sign of any other people around.

"Wha?! How did you manage to even call help you bastard!" She panicked, her knife pushing harder against the man's throat. _She had no way out_.

Izuku was analyzing the situation quickly, choosing an approach and checking on Shoto and Bakugo to not act too sudden. He was assigned as the planning leader that night, they practiced to work together for months anyway. To his luck, they weren't looking like they were about to do something too spontaneous. Yesterday's classes were about resolving conflicts peacefully, and maybe his two classmates were also trying to practice? Surprising, but _All Might talked to Kacchan_ about it the other day - they were working on it overall - and he had a feeling he wanted to test it out as well.

"We can all calm down now." He started, taking his hands slightly up to calm the attacker. "_Just let this man go and we can-_"

"**NO! I can't**!" She yelled, clenching her jaw and standing her ground.

"Please, we don't need to fight..."

"Midoriya, it doesn't look like we can do anything. That's desperation, right there. Better knock her out." Shoto lifted his hand, the morning air slightly colder just from that simple gesture.

"**NO!** I won't let you!"

"**Shut it and turn yourself in, then!** You think we like to waste time like this?! _Better hurry up, lady_, we don't have all day." Katsuki's speech only stressed the woman more, the hostage only wincing and shifting as she tightened her grasp. Kacchan's scowl deepened under his ash blond hair, the teen clearly not having any interest in making peace deals anymore. _Who would have thought?_

"Kacchan! You're making this worse!"

"There is a life on the line, hurry it up or i will!"

"JUST GO AWAY!" The scream ringed around them, snapping all three to look at the distressed thief.

\- _Suddenly, there was a flash of light bright enough that Midoriya had to close his eyes. **This**, whatever it is, was coming towards him at high speed. The woman's hand, he now noticed, let go of the knife and was outstretched forward, clearly not quirkless anymore. He fell down upon being hit with some force, looking up at the woman as she gaped at him from under a thick layer of ice. -_

"Midoriya? Are you ok?" Todoroki helped his friend up, slowly, cautiously, the other only shaking his head. "Yeah, i am. But...what was...?"

"It was so fast, i didn't see what happened either. At least we have _her_ secured." Shoto looked at her line of sight, only now noticing the force of the impact pushed them both away a bit. Izuku was surely not standing under the window before, and... was that burned soot on their clothes?

As sirens ringed outside, the ice started creaking, the prisoner inside surely feeling cold and scared. The police was long coming anyway, the heroes were just faster to get there. What worried them though was that just now they noticed that one of their classmates...

...Was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Katsuki awoke to bright light above him, the slight flicker of it every 7 seconds. He felt cold wood floor beneath his back, chilling him to the bone. Relaxing himself for a bit, he observed the not so familiar colors dancing across his vision. He sat up, looking around a bit more, hoping that the feeling of chills all over him would be gone with floor contact.

Screw that, **_he was cold even after parting with the floor_**.

"Hey, where the hell are you all?" His words echoed, the empty hallway answering his question quietly, as if saying back "_You are alone..._"

Now that he was fully aware, he noticed the damaged walls all around him forming a long hallway. There was what looked like classrooms spread out on it's left side, the right one just having one single clock on it. Probably broken, the hands stuck on 6:30. No windows, only the same flickering lightbulb above his head, the seemingly endless hall continuing through the darkness.

It was truly an eerie sight.

So, the girl had a quirk. Figures. He expected that she needed to have a backup plan, for when such an amazing hero as_ him_ would show up. Stupid nerd didn't expect it, though, same the police, and Katsuki had no other choice but practice his saving skills he and All Might talked about last time.

Or, well, _on Ground Beta that fateful night..._

It was still cold, his "winter costume" giving no heat whatsoever. Normally he ran hotter than other people because of his quirk, the thermostat in the house always below 30 Celsius to not make him too comfortable to just explode furniture. His mother still remembered the incident from when he was 8 y/o after all, and hence it was decided to stay like that forever. Here though, in this place, he wasn't sure if the feeling was even real.

He didn't really feel his arms or legs, they just moved on their own. He checked his own _pulse_ and couldn't even feel his own pumping heart, leaving only a few conclusions to be made.

-The girl's quirk had been powerful enough to kill him (**yeah, right. He's too strong for that.**)

-He was dreaming or trapped in a coma (**him? knocked out? that's pathetic. Surely not...?**)

-He traveled to another...place, or perhaps a dimension. (**...quirkless my ass.**)

There were people who said they saw hell. There was a bunch of patients woken up from a coma. There were incidents of dimension altering quirks. Was saving this dumbass rival of his really worth it? Worth the experience, worth battling the fear? One side of him screamed yes, but the other was opposed.

He ignored both and went to investigate the classrooms.

* * *

"So you say he just disappeared?" Mina looked something between shocked and serious, underlined with dimmed humor of irony.

"Like i said, there was just light and force of him pushing me out of the way. I didn't believe it myself at first, too. Then, he was just... _gone_."

"That's... Horrible, Izuku-kun. Please don't blame yourself. He will come back, i'm sure of it." Uraraka gave him a small version of her classic, bubbly smile.

Izuku was still shocked. About 5 hours ago his childhood friend-turned bully-turned rival had disappeared, apparently, _before his very eyes_.

He still didn't understand it, neither the act neither the quirk of the robber they caught. Apparently she didn't know much about it herself, only saying the people _vanished_ under her grasp - saying she saw a young hot-headed hero push the green one out of her way. They asked, begged for her to say if the many people she took from that bank would come back, if any came back before the robbery - Izuku being the loudest of them all, the raw emotion taking a hold of his actions back then. Even All Might was troubled, his old heart clenched even if he looked brave for his young green disciple in his most dire moments.

He had to say, he was a bit of a hypocrite. He sacrificed himself all the time while breaking bones and fainting from effort. It was becoming his second nature, much to his mother's worry. Being saved -though- felt like the worst hit he ever took. Like a punch to the face, a punch to his pride.

He understood Kacchan a bit more now. He was worried for him. Was that how the rest of his friends felt when he did the same? _Having someone sacrifice themselves for him..._ **made him sick.**

Still, he was ever so determined to have hope that _his Kacchan_ would make it out. Would escape, what the villain had called, the _cursed cage_.

"Yeah... I'm sure he will." Midoriya said, his nod weak as Shoto send him a worried look.

Todoroki, on the other hand, felt more strongly about _not being strong enough_ to save both of his comrades. He was worried for Bakugo as they just recently had been on better terms, the other even visiting his house while under Endeavor with Izuku. They talked briefly, the explosive teen opening up a bit when he saw the other do the same. The internship made them train together as well, so it was hard to not get the man more familiar with the other. That's why he should have known. It was the training camp all over again. He couldn't save him. He **failed**. And now he's gone. **Again**.

He sat down near his friend, about to talk with him about it, but then Kirishima piped up with one last question, hitting them both. "uh, sorry, man, but... can't we send someone to help him?"

"Asked. It won't do a thing. She... She said _rarely_ people come back, and if, they always came back alone. I wish we could, but we can't. They say we will have more information tomorrow evening."

The students dispersed, each once more troubled by the second disappearance of the teen.

* * *

**2 Weeks. **

Katsuki was stuck here for** 2 weeks.** It felt like the longest 2 weeks of his life.

He couldn't stand it anymore. The repeating hallway, the same clock, the same empty classrooms, _everywhere_. He was wondering if he was going in circles, then again, he was only moving in a straight line. He was alone, in the quiet, the walls literally _suffocating_ him. He was always awake, unable to fall asleep again, his eyes always telling him something was in his peripheral vision when there wasn't. The silence was everywhere, but the faint sounds that started coming from his own memories since a few hours ago were driving him insane.

He punched the walls, scratched the old paint, anything to get out. He couldn't feel the air going through his lungs, he didn't see the sun or the moon since so long. He was scared, **alone**, alone with his thoughts, alone in his fear.

He thought he saw a black shadow behind the door, or a green-haired freckled face in the far darkness, waiting, but it dispersed as the slightest light hit it.

He smashed the same clock a few times, discovering the lack of clockwork inside it. He opened all doors, closing them again, breaking the locks and even trying to knock himself out to just end his sleep deprivation.

The cold never went away, everything aching and burning at the same time. His explosions couldn't be ignited without his sweat, and the pressure from around him felt crushing.

He backed into a corner like he spent his life in it, the familiar place fitting his body and embracing him. The truest fresh tears fell down his face.

This was it.

He was in hell, with no escape.

* * *

The next day after the incident everybody was worn out from thinking too much. They made tea and all sat down with silence, looking at each other with saddened glances. They didn't feel safe as heroes, nor good, nor motivated. Today was a Sunday, anyway. Who cares? They can stay, play some MarioCart, forget their problems while they only can wait. The last ones to arrive were Shoto and Midoriya, looking dead on their feet. Could the class even say anything to better their mood? Probably nope.

"I'm going for a walk. I need it." Izuku just mumbled, everybody too tired to disagree. The guy needed air? _They can give him air._

All they managed to croak was a weak 'sure' before the elevator dinged and the dorms were Izukuless.

* * *

It wasn't a hallway anymore. It was every place he ever saw, merged, but empty and destroyed... _Burned_. Was it his memories mixing with reality? His mind was too messed up to think about it. He was stepping over the rubble barefooted, the cold not even registering anymore from the numbness that overtook him after all this time wandering. There was no sky, the outside felt like a cage, him being the small pebble at the very bottom. He fell down, touching the grass that felt a tad softer than the normal floor did. He did have more hope now, since behind the darkest part of the hallway he found a hole to crawl out of, but at the cost of his energy.

Was that this bitch's quirk? Draining the energy and leaving the lost souls to wander their purgatory of memories?

He felt tired, and for the first time in a long time, he managed to slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

Midoriya walked fast towards the park. He didn't sleep that night, not much anyway, but the energy was buzzing in his legs, the anger and anxiety combining. He felt like he was thrown in a loop, stuck in feeling like he did before deciding to go to Kamino to get his friend back. The thing is, he had no way of just 'going' to get Katcchan back this time. He was stuck, ergo he wanted to scream once more. Wait until evening? No way he can manage.

He sat down a bench, his tears (why was he even crying?) flowing down his face and staining his jeans. How did this even happen? How didn't he predict...-

**No,** he couldn't think like that. _It was an accident, and it wasn't as if Kacchan was dead. _

He wasn't.

...

_Fuck._

...

He was back to first base again, thinking the same thoughts. Was Kacchan _ok_? Was Kacchan _hurt_? Will he _see him again_? They were supposed to go for the top together!

_...There was leaves rustling behind him, but he didn't hear. There was heavy breathing far away, but his mind was clouded. Finally, when a hand reached down onto his shoulder, shaken and slim fingers squeezing in a weak and tired grip, he turned. His eyes widened like plates, all tears rolling out, his mouth hanging open and dry._

He breathed out.

_"K...Kacchan?!"_


	2. Chapter 2

**No clue why i'm doing this again. Also, i forgot to mention, i'm a manga reader so most of the weird non-anime things(like the whole Endeavor internship and the bonding dinner) in the previous chapter are from there.**

* * *

Shot did not have a good night. During the time after the theft he was mostly thinking, talking with Midoryia or blaming himself. Not even after the morning came he felt better, not even a bit. Shoto knew his classmates weren't doing much better, seeing their usual behavior gone in place of pretending to be alright. Knowing that everyone in the room had hope helped him a little, but the atmosphere was slowly making him uncomfortable.

The silence he received from his classmates made him think they were _blaming_ him too, which in reality they were anything but.

"Where did Izuku go, exactly?" Shoto didn't want to wait anymore. This very moment he had decided to go and find his not-taken friend, the both of them going to the woman themselves instead of waiting until the evening. Was it a good idea? _No._

Was he going to do it? _Yes._

"Todoroki-kun... I don't think he wants company. Don't worry though! I'm sure he will be better after he gets some air, the evening will come in no time and then we can tell you all how stupid this all was. Yeah." Mina spiked up, causing Todoroki to contemplate her words. If the most open girl in class was keeping him away from Midoriya, that meant even she wasn't blind to his sadness. Not that losing his newly returned childhood friend would feel any differently for Shoto, but he just simply wanted to make his classmate (and secretly himself) better.

Well, seems like he was going alone, then. He turned around, a weak "Ok." leaving his determined face.

* * *

He hadn't expected it. The object of his thoughts for the past day was standing in front of him, ashen and pale, his eyes unseeing.

"K-kacchan?" The boy let go of him as quick as lightning, taking a few steps back. The imprint of his touch ghosted over Izuku's shoulder as he stood up, advancing towards his rival carefully.

The boy looked dead on his feet, his hands shaking and thin, withdrawn. His skin didn't have the nice color it always does, instead being pale and almost grey in comparison. His hair was dull and tangled, his eyes barely holding any of the classic determination and instead being frantic and scared.

Kacchan stared at Midoriya with widened eyes, the latter reflecting the look back with almost twice the intensity.

"You...You're not real, you can't be..." Bakugo barely found his voice, so unneeded in the past 138 days. Or was it 216 days? _He didn't know anymore_. One thing he knew though, his rough voice surely was wasted as there was no way the illusion he was chasing for some time now magically appeared in front of him. Was this a memory? A deeper level to his inside torment? Letting him touch his friend and then take him away, burning him along his memories?

**No.**

He's not going to let himself believe that the boy that looked like someone just killed a puppy, was, in fact,_ real._

"N-No, I assure y-you Kacchan, i am real. See?" For some reason the weird Izuku looked very distressed. Katsuki wondered if he should just run, but decided against it. The holder of one-for-all moved his hand toward his blond-counterpart, all scars visible, earning a startled yelp out of the other. A milion thoughts that were running through his head suddenly stopped, unable to go for much longer.

Katsuki would never act like this. Izuku was sure... _no_, he knew Kacchan would not flinch like a feral animal even in the face of grat danger. So why was he...

Something must have happened. But what was capable of changing Katsuki so greatly?

It felt like a minute has passed until the explosion hero looked around himself, as if everything around started registering and overwhelming him at the same time. The grass under his feet, the air passing through his lungs, the beautiful sky staring right back at him in it's whole magnificent glory. He touched his arm and actually felt his skin, felt his blood resuming to flow through his not-a-day-older body. Blinking a few times he realized he was taking small steps away from the greenette, who suddenly looked way more real than Katsuki _dared_ to hope. There was just no way it was him, he knew that. No way he had escaped the maze he got trapped in for such a long time.

The concern in Izuku's eyes grew with each passing second, the worry so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife and eat it if you wanted. He started to mumble rapidly, bringing his friend's thoughts to the ground once more.

"There is nothing to be scared of, Kacchan! You're ok, you're on UA grounds, let me take you inside, please-" the boy said with a quiet voice, slowly resuming to approach his newly found friend, all the while continuing his speech. "-there must have been a reason you touched my shoulder, right? You know i'm, uh, real, right? I promise i'm here. See for yourself!" Katsuki noticed that Izuku's hand was outstretched in the least threatening way possible, his eyes fixated on the expression of his frightened friend._ I will be so dead when he comes back to normal..._\- Izuku thought

The blonde looked at Izuku's hand, the dark bags under his eyes even more present at this angle. He was unsure, confused, scared of being hopeful - but the most important of all - once more determined. With hesitation he never knew he was able to have, his once again working hand reached forward shakingly toward the illusion claiming to be tangible. He was so close... but he feared it was still all fake. he reached down.

In one weird moment, their hands were holding each other in an uncertain and awkward grip.

Midoriya let out a sigh of relief at his accomplishment but not long after was shaken by the sheer _cold_ emanating from his friend. Sure, he was glad that finding his rival went faster than expected, but his state of being still didn't allow full relief to calm his insides. He clenched the slim fingers in his palm, slowly feeling them relax.

In contrast to his finder, Katsuki felt overwhelmed by the warm and inviting hand of his friend. The gentle and comforting grip convinced Katsuki immediately, relief and the sheer safety washing over him in waves, almost begging for more proof. He reached with his other hand towards the warm boy's wrist, feeling the pulse under his fingers quicken with his sudden behavior. He looked up, his eyes desperate and finally at peace with the fact he somehow escaped. For real. His suffering has ended.

Not long after the first few seconds of realization have passed, Katsuki threw himself at his friend, his hands desperately clinging onto Deku's warm back.

* * *

*bzzt*

_*bzzt*_

_"Wha?"_

*bzzt*

*beep*

"Who's calling?"

"Uh, hey, Shoto? A-are you by any chance near the park?" Izuku's shaky voice reached through, immediately making the young Todoroki curious. Wasn't his friend wishing to be left alone for the time being? That was the only reason he went to interrogate one of the thief's victims in secret without him, learning a whole lot he was sure to inform Izuku of later.

"I'm actually just the way to the school grounds, but i'm near enough. Why?"

"Well, uhh, i may have f-found Kacchan..."

"What?!" Shoto ignored a few stares he got from the people around him, immediately turning towards the park. "Where exactly are you? Where did you find him? Is he ok?" Listening in, he could tell Izuku was either not standing up or executing some sort of activity, his breaths short and whistling slightly. The green-haired teen took a moment to respond. "I'm near one of the benches on the right side if you look from the school's direction. He seems...fine? He's just colder than normal, looks tired, isn't up for c-conversation..." The curiosity levels peaked in the confused boy.

"Give me a minute, i'm going. See you." Ending the call, Shoto begun jogging toward the park.

* * *

Yeah, no


End file.
